MARLBOROUGH – The opioid epidemic ravaging the region, state and country is not often tied to senior citizens, but elders can play a key role in keeping opioids out of the hands of addicts.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan offered tips to city seniors Friday on ways to manage and properly dispose of prescription medications, identify signs of addiction in friends and family members and prevent theft of their medications. The presentation is part of Ryan's Grandparent Opioid Program.

Ryan shared several stories of cleaning service employees, open house visitors and even family members going into the medicine cabinets of seniors and stealing prescription pills. Seniors often have opioids in their homes, either from a past surgery or to treat chronic pain. Addicts often steal only a few pills from a person’s pill container to try to keep their habit a secret.

“You’re probably not going to notice that,” she said of the few missing pills.

The district attorney advised seniors to treat their medications like a stack of $50 bills and keep them in a secure place.

“You have to look at your prescriptions that way,” she said.

In many cases, addicts will steal medications and replace them with similar-looking pills, like aspirin, which can have a significant effect on the health of a senior. Ryan advised seniors to count their prescription pills weekly.

Disposing of old medications is another step. Police departments have kiosks where residents can safely dispose of prescriptions 24 hours a day, said Ryan.

There were 251 opioid-related deaths in Middlesex County in 2016, up from 65 in 2012. Marlborough is not immune. Ten city residents died from overdoses in the past five years. There have been no fatal overdoses in the city so far in 2017, she said.

“We all know this is a crisis that is hitting everyone,” said state Rep. Danielle Gregoire, D-Marlborough. “Knowledge is the most important tool we have.”

Ryan shared several identifying characteristics of addicts, such as frequent scratching, wearing long-sleeves during all types of weather and a lack of interest in school, work, or sports. Instead, addicts are solely intent on where they will get their next fix.

“People become incredible focused on how to get their drugs,” she said.

Addicts often wear out their welcome at their home and turn to their grandparents for help. Ryan said addicts, knowing their grandparents are a soft touch, will typically try to coerce them into giving money for drugs or steal the medications outright.

“It’s very hard to turn your grandchild away,” said Ryan. “…Addiction is really a family disease. It tears apart the whole family.”

Approximately 34,000 grandparents in Massachusetts are raising grandchildren. About 80 percent of those cases are because of opioid use or opioid-related death of a son or daughter, said Ryan.

Seniors called the program informative and said they were unaware of potential resources to help addicts and the need to secure their medications. It is critical that seniors learn how to properly dispose of unused prescription pills, said Diane Tenney.

“That was a wonderful presentation,” she said.

Jeff Malachowski can be reached at 508-490-7466 or jmalachowski@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmalachowskiMW.